March 10, 2023 A Bridgeport, Connecticut, jury has returned a $20 million verdict for the wife of a Rhode Island man who died of mesothelioma cancer after exposure to window glazing contaminated with asbestos.
The verdict on Thursday is limited to compensatory damages against DAP Inc., the manufacturer of DAP 33 window glaze, and Vanderbilt Minerals, which supplied asbestos-contaminated ingredients used to make the product. The punitive damages phase of the trial is pending.
After seven weeks of testimony presented by Waters Kraus Paul & Siegel trial lawyers, jurors agreed that John Peckham was exposed to cancer-causing asbestos in DAP 33 window glaze. Mr. Peckham was a temporary worker at the Stillwater Worsted Mill in East Woodstock, Connecticut, on two occasions in the early 1960s, scraping and removing dried and dusty glazing from window frames while replacing hundreds of windows.
Mr. Peckham died in 2020, just 18 months after he was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a deadly form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos.
“Manufacturers and suppliers have long-known about the dangers of asbestos but have chosen to place profits over safety,” said Waters Kraus Paul & Siegel partner Patrick Wigle. “The results are preventable tragedies like what happened here. Jurors in this case endured seven weeks of testimony, including more than 250 exhibits. This was an extremely complicated case, and we’re grateful that they took their duties seriously.”
In addition to Mr. Wigle, the Waters Kraus Paul & Siegel team included Sam Iola and Camille Hunt and co-counsel Chris Meisenkothen of Early, Lucarelli, Sweeney & Meisenkothen.
The case is Kathleen M. Peckham Individually and as Executrix of the Estate of John Peckham v. DAP Inc. and Vanderbilt Minerals LLC, CV-19-6088003, in the Fairfield Judicial Superior Court in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
About Waters & Kraus, LLP
Waters Kraus Paul & Siegel is a national plaintiffs’ firm with lawyers litigating complex civil matters as well as practicing whistleblower and False Claims Act litigation nationwide. Based in Dallas, Texas, the firm has offices in Los Angeles, California, and by appointment in Illinois and Louisiana. Our attorneys represent whistleblowers who expose fraud and false claims against the government in a variety of matters, including government contractor and procurement fraud and healthcare fraud. Contact us at 800.226.9880 to learn more about our practice and our Qui Tam attorneys.
